I bought a Quip toothbrush very quickly. About a year ago I googled something like: best toothbrush, and Quip had one of the top sponsored ads. That’s exactly what I was looking for – ease. Yes, I could’ve gone through a more lengthy process and ended up with a better toothbrush, or one that dentists across the country more highly recommend, but that’s not the experience I was looking to have along my buyer’s journey.
Camp is, obviously, much different.
We all know the buyer’s journey first-time camp families experience – we spend time in their living rooms (pre-covid), speak to them over the phone, offer digital experiences to get to know our directors and missions, and provide bountiful information ahead of a camper’s session.
So, how do we balance direct Calls to Action with the longer discovery process families are on when looking for summer camps, in an increasingly digital world?
Here are a few marketing elements we’ve added over the past 2 years that have helped bridge this gap. We received several of them from conversations with other NCYCA camps!
- Incredibly Obvious Enroll Now Buttons – on every page, and somewhere in every marketing email. This allows us to take a step back from always including Enroll Now in subject lines and email bodies. Families know where to go when they’re ready; now we can provide them with other helpful information.
- Suggestions on how to choose the right camp for their family – even if it is not us.
- Digital resources that can enrich their family time, regardless of their camp decision.
- Verbalizing – “We know these decisions take time…” in an email, and getting out of the way for a time.
- Diversifying marketing email senders/return addresses – so emails come from a person, not always an organization.
- Engagement opportunities for the parent on any schedule – from quick website chats (like Podium or Zendesk) to the ability to schedule an hour long personalized information session.
I hope some of these can be helpful. Feel free to pass along any helpful suggestions you’ve found over the past year!
Daniel Weatherby
